A MAN who left Tameside for America six years ago has spoken of the 'mixed emotions' felt by the people in his new homeland.

Jonathan Schofield lives in Hoboken, New Jersey - just a 15 minute train ride from the World Trade Center - the focus of last week's terrorist attacks.

The 32-year-old usually travels into the city to work, but thankfully Tuesday was his day off.

"I saw the news and thought 'what the hell is this, some kind of film?'. It didn't sink in, I phoned a friend to ask was this really happening," said the former Copley High School pupil.

Another of his friends worked on the 72nd floor of the north tower of the WTC but had luckily phoned in sick that day.

"Everybody knows somebody affected by it - a girl I work with, her cousin was killed there. I know people who worked there who I've not heard from, I'm just hoping no news is good news," said Jonathan.

On the day of the attacks he said the streets were packed were panic-stricken pedestrians. "I heard about them bombing Washington and just thought 'what next'? So I went to a friend's further away from the city. People were hitch hiking trying to get as far away as possible."

Jonathan, originally from Mottram, where his parents Peter and Josephine still live, said he'd never forget his trip to work the following day.

"It was like a funeral, everybody was on the train going to work but there was this sombre silence. A group of people laughed but it wasn't taken too kindly by everybody else."

Jonathan said New Yorkers were feeling everything from hatred towards whoever carried out the attacks, to sadness and fear over what's going to happen next.

But he said one thing was certain - everybody was fully behind the president in his determination to retaliate.

"People are 100 per cent behind him. They've just taken more lives than are lost in most battles," he said.

"Usually Americans fight wars that are nothing to do with them and they don't really know why they're fighting.

"This time they've got a reason - they'll have a clear image in their heads of these towers collapsing and they'll know exactly what they're fighting for."